“Super Fun Night” recap (1.1): Anything for Love

I went in with low expectations, seeing that early buzz on Rebel Wilson’s new sitcom, Super Fun Night, were not great. Instead of worrying, I let my hope ride on that which is Rebel Wilson and her comedic genius. If you’re unfamiliar, and live under an un-funny rock, Wilson is the Australian actress who riffed off in Pitch Perfect and gained a following after only a small part Bridesmaids. She co-created Super Fun Night with Conan O’Brien, John Riggl, Jeff Ross and David Kissinger. Out writer Jen Braden(Underemployed)is an added bonus.

As Kimmie Boubier, Wilson is similarly goofy has she has been in her past roles. This time she’s a junior attorney in New York who is inspired to trade her Friday nights in for exciting adventures with her best friends Marika (Lauren Ash) and Helen-Alice (Liza Lapira). For years, they’ve stayed in together, but now, with Kimmie in the lead, the three decide to break out of their shells.

In last night’s pilot episode, “Anything for Love,” Kimmie is recording her first ever video diary, telling the story of the new Kimmie Boubier’s recent promotion at the firm and the new guy in her life, Richard (Kevin Bishop). Along with the three BFFs, the adorable friendship between Kimmie and Richard is at the center of the premiere. She ends the video entry, “mouthguard in, Kimmie out.”

After pulling suggestions out of their Super Fun Night Idea jar, the ladies decide to venture to a piano bar where patrons are encouraged to sing because, as Helen-Alice says, “I thought a piano bar would be a safe place—it’s full of gay men.” Their first breaking-out of the cocoon excursion finds Kimmie having to face her fear of the stage.

In in the firm’s office we find Wilson with her Bridesmaids co-star and real-life roommate Matt Lucas (Little Britain). Lucas’ character reminds the newly promoted Kimmie not to forget her old co-workers on the ninth floor — except for Terri. “Forget about Terri. She’s dead to us now,” Lucas sneers. “Why? What did she do?” Wilson asks. “She died,” he explains.

In the office, we are then introduced to Richard seen talking with the new lawyer, Kendall (Kate Jenkinson), who asks Richard out to dinner as Kimmie runs past the office in pursuit of jelly doughnuts. This is also when we are first introduced to the elephant in the room and the seeming main star of the show, jokes about Kimmie’s plus-sized figure. It’s hard to pay any attention to a storylines passed the many jokes about her size, Kimmie’s attempts to get into and out of Spanx while managing to keep the clothes she’s wearing from being ripped off in mishaps. I mean, even the name “Boubier” feels more and more grating because of the obvious joke implications.

But I digress. After introducing herself to Kendall as the girl who got her hand stuck in the vending machine last year at one of her seminars, Kendall seems more and more confused by Richard and Kimmie’s mutual crush on one another, asking a co-worker if there is something going on between them. His response? “He might be trying to keep it quiet. You get a big one like that on a leash you want to keep it on the DL.” “Whatever, I don’t care,” Kendall says. “Yeah you do—that’s the boss’s son,” the co-worker replies.

Kendall goes right to the source and asks a flustered Kimmie herself to which Kimmie confuses the “benefit” in “friends with benefits” to be more along the lines of sharing stationary. Instead of noticing Kendall’s manipulative ways, Kimmie invites Kendall out on their super fun night. After declining, Richard agrees to go.

At the piano bar, Sharps & Flats, we see Kimmie, Marika and Helen-Alice ogling the trophy for the singing that is to come. After a joke about the weight of Kimmie’s boobs (‘The only trophy I ever won was for the ‘guess the weight of your own boobs’ competition”), we start to see Marikas character blossom a bit. And by this, I mean she starts to let her lez flag wave! Helen-Alice gets accidentally drunk while Marika encourages Richard to feel her biceps and then unsolicitedly shoots down his advances just as Kimmie starts prepping her vocal chords. The performer slotted before Kimmie? Kendall! Who shows up out of nowhere to belt out “True Colors.”

“I came here to motivate you, but showing you how awesome I am,” Kendall says. “What I’m trying to say in the nicest possible way is, beat that, Boubier.”

Kimmie, of course, retaliates by fainting on stage.

Now we all know from Pitch Perfect that Wilson can carry a tune, and after a flashback scene to Kimmie’s sixth-grade talent show where she also faints, Marika and a very drunk Helen-Alice are there to convince Kimmie to try again. Kimmie ends up returning to the stage for a hilarious rendition of Meat Loaf’s “I Would Do Anything for Love (But I Won’t Do That).” Of course Kendall hijacks the spotlight and goes home with the trophy, but seems she’s getting the guy. For now, anyway.

Markika wonders what Kimmie means when she sings she’ll do anything for love but she “won’t do that.“ “Butt stuff,” Kimmie clarifies. For the record.